Davanagere: Davangere police arrested 10 people recently, most of them engineering dropouts, for allegedly kidnapping and extorting affluent youths and persons involved in financial transactions in the city. Vidyanagar police identified the main accused as Gangaram Pawar, alias Boblu, a native of Kalaburagi, who reportedly has several previous cases registered against him.
The arrests followed the kidnapping of a 26-year-old cloth merchant from Davangere on Sept 9. Police said the victim was called by his friend Santosh to the area near Bapuji Bank community hall on Shamanur Road around 3 pm. At the house, the victim was allegedly assaulted with sticks and fists, and forced to arrange for Rs 10 lakh.
Officers traced his mobile phone location, launched a rescue operation and freed him from the accused.
Further investigation is under way, police said. Four accused, who arrived in a red car, allegedly took him to a house on 14th Cross, Anjaneya Layout. When he failed to return home, his family approached Vidyanagar police. A case has been registered, and police are questioning the arrested men to determine whether the gang was involved in similar offences in Davanagere and neighbouring districts.